Habakkuk 3
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- Written by: Ian Thomason
A Prayer of Faith: A God Who Delivers audio (5MB)
Habakkuk 3:1-19
Good morning.
Before I preach on Habakkuk chapter three, I’d like to pose a question that I hope everyone will devote a little time to in quiet reflection, as I speak for the next twenty minutes.
It’s been my experience that preachers will often ask rhetorical questions in sermons, sometimes with a knowing look and a gentle tilt of the head. Stagecraft aside, they do this because preachers don’t want us to be passive pew-sitters, they want us to be actively thinking through the implications of a given point.
My question is quite straightforward, but the proper response has consequences that directly affect everyone in church today.
The question is this: for what purpose were we created?
Habakkuk 1
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
A Call for Justice audio (5MB)
The cry for justice is a common occurrence in our world isn't it? Injustice takes place at all sorts of levels and we wonder, why does God allow it? It's like what we saw in Psalm 73 a few weeks ago. Why do the wicked prosper? Why do the powerful get away with taking advantage of the weak and helpless? Why doesn't God do something about it if he's the good and powerful God that we think he is?
Those are the sorts of questions that Habakkuk struggles with as he looks at the nation of Israel. And as we'll see in a moment there's an even more difficult question that needs answering. That's the question that arises when we see evildoers being punished at the hands of those who are just as evil if not more so.
We occasionally see on the news stories of bikie gang members being shot by members of rival gangs and you think that's justice - yet it's justice carried out by someone whose as wicked as the one receiving the punishment.
It's sometime around the end of the 7th century BC. The nation has gone through a period of revival under Josiah but now he's dead and the rich and powerful are back to their old tricks.
Psalm 27
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- Written by: George Hemmings
A Psalm of Yearning audio (5MB)
There’s an old story of a young man who grew up on the wrong side of town. He was bright and full of good intentions, but down on his luck. Until one day, through a series of events he came into possession of a magic lamp that could grant his wishes. If you believe the Disney version, he was only allowed three wishes. And he couldn’t wish for more wishes, couldn't wish for someone to die, and couldn’t wish for someone to fall in love with him. I wonder if you had Aladdin’s lamp, what would you wish for?
What are your deepest desires? Would you wish for fame, fortune, happiness? Maybe a good job, a happy family, and long life? A packet of Tim-Tams that never runs out? What would you wish for?
Psalm 73
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
A Psalm of Lament audio (5MB)
Today we start a short series on the Psalms – culminating in our evening worship service with Sons of Korah on May 26th. Over the next 3 weeks we’ll be looking at 4 different types of psalm – today a psalm of lament, next week a psalm of yearning, then a psalm of hope and on that Sunday evening a psalm of praise.
Before we begin it’s important to understand that psalms are first and foremost poetry. Poetry is a great medium for expressing feelings. The words that are used are not always exact, nor are they meant to be heard literally. Rather they’re meant to evoke a response of the heart. They often appeal to the emotions rather than the intellect. That makes them particularly helpful for people who are struggling with life, who perhaps don’t have the energy to think things through rationally or who are too unsettled to think calmly. These people can join with the psalmist in pouring their heart out to the Lord. Psalms are also good when you’re so full of joy that you can’t put it into words. That’s when the psalmist calls on the mountains and trees to sing their praises along with his own.
Well, today we’re looking at Psalm 73, a lament.
The psalm begins with a familiar refrain: “God is good to those who love him.” That’s one of the foundations of our understanding of God, isn’t it? God is good. God loves us. God has chosen us. He’ll never forsake us. He’ll look after us. What’s more he’ll bless those who remain faithful to him with every good gift. And so the psalmist believes.
Isaiah 9:2-7 - Christmas Eve
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Light in the Darkness audio (4MB)
Text by George yet to come
